Ukrop's stores to begin conversion to Martin's on April 3

Friday

Mar 26, 2010 at 12:01 AMSep 10, 2014 at 8:50 AM

The clock is ticking for the Ukrop's name.The 73-year-old Richmond-based grocery chain's ownership changed last month, and over the next two months, the stores' name and much else will be changing, too, including the stores' longstanding policies of clo

The clock is ticking for the Ukrop's name.

The 73-year-old Richmond-based grocery chain's ownership changed last month, and over the next two months, the stores' name and much else will be changing, too, including the stores' longstanding policies of closing on Sunday and not selling alcoholic beverages.

The new owner, Netherlands-based Ahold NV, announced on Thursday its schedule for converting the four Tri-Cities Ukrop's stores, and the 21 others from Ashland to Williamsburg, to their new name, Martin's Food Markets.

The stores will close for a week at a time in groups of four to five each week, to allow for remodeling and upgrades. In-store pharmacies and bank branches will remain open during the conversions.

Among the first group to undergo the changes will be the Colonial Square location at 3107 Boulevard, Colonial Heights. It's scheduled to close at 6 p.m. on April 3 and reopen on April 12 at 8 a.m.

The next local store to get the treatment will be the Chesterfield Meadows location at Iron Bridge and Centralia roads in Chesterfield. It will close on April 17 and reopen on April 26.

Then it's the Petersburg location's turn. The store at 3330 South Crater Road will close on April 24 and reopen on May 3.

Finally, the Chester store in the Bermuda Square shopping center at 12601 Jefferson Davis Highway will shut its doors on May 1 and open them again on May 10.

Outside the Tri-Cities, the last of the converted stores will reopen on May 17.

With the conversions, the new owner - the Carlisle, Pa.-based Giant-Carlisle division of Ahold's U.S. subsidiary, which operates Martin's and Giant Food Stores - will be ditching two policies that date to Ukrop's founding: All stores will be open on Sunday, and they'll be selling beer and wine.

The extent of the remodeling will vary from one location to another, said Jim Scanlon, regional vice president of Giant-Carlisle.

"Over the next several weeks, we are remodeling and upgrading the former Ukrop's stores in order to provide shoppers with a modern and convenient shopping experience," Scanlon said. "We are confident customers will be excited to see what we have done to offer them more choice and greater value as the stores reopen."

Martin's, which completed its purchase of Ukrop's in February, said it is making a multimillion-dollar investment in each store. The money will be spent on upgrades including new décor, improved lighting and refrigeration, and new technology.

During each conversion, the old Ukrop's signs on the outside of the stores will be removed at the beginning of the remodeling. The new Martin's signs will be installed by the end of the day on the following Thursday.

The change will mean the disappearance of a name that rose from a humble beginning to a high profile across central Virginia and beyond.

Company founder Joseph Ukrop was working as a meat manager at an A&P grocery store in Richmond when he persuaded his Czech immigrant father to mortgage the family farm for $1,000 so he could start his own grocery.

That first 500-square-foot store opened on Hull Street in Richmond in 1937. Reflecting Joseph Ukrop's Baptist upbringing, it sold no alcoholic beverages and it closed on Sundays to allow workers to attend church.

It wasn't until 1963 that Ukrop's expanded to a second location. But by 2002, when Joseph Ukrop passed away at the age of 88, the chain had grown to 27 stores. The company last year decided to close two of those stores - in Roanoke and the Fredericksburg area - as business slowed during the recent recession.

Over the years, Ukrop's won repeated accolades nationally for its customer-friendly approach and its community involvement. Locally, for example, Ukrop's was the first company to give a pledge of support to help the Tri-Cities recover after a tornado caused widespread damage to Pocahontas Island and other areas in 1993.

- Michael Buettner may be reached at 722-5155 or mbuettner@progress-index.com.

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